"How hard can it be?" I asked myself when I volunteered to host this carnival. A few links, an elegant paragraph about each and the job is done. As it turns out, I have been given the week after the Convention on Modern Liberty. That means there will be dozens of links but few elegant paragraphs. So apologies to all the bloggers who gets only the briefest of mentions. Before the Convention Pieces looking forward to the big day came from Rory Bremner and Entering the Networked World. Jack Straw told us not to worry our pretty little heads and ...
We "went bananas" and and how, for Stockton's main Fairtrade event. 200 bananas kindly donated by Asda were duly unzipped and eaten in our attempt at the world record breaking for eating Fairtrade bananas. More news of the figures when we have them. Also 50 balloons were sent up to a clear blue sky in aid of the Mayor's Charities. The Mayor then carried the large inflatable banana...
After many headaches, big and small, it all came together at noon today. Stockton went Bananas for Fairtrade. The Town Crier, one of the council's Democratic Services officers, came out to help encourage a crowd to gather. The sun shone, the wind didn't blow, helpers arrived. Curious passers-by learned something of what the Fairtrade premium means to the producers. The balloons looked good in
The extraordinary European Council meeting (heads of state and government summit) on Sunday reaffirmed policies already widely agreed for tackling the economic depression: bail out plans for EU countries in serious trouble; better regulation of financial services providers; co-ordination of state aid to help car makers; reaffirming the rules of the single market and the stability and growth pact and persuading the banks to start lending again. What was not expected was the clear steer given by French President Sarkozy at the subsequent press conference that he is re-thinking his support for a second term for Commission President Barroso. From ...
Sir Menzies Campbell was in Dundee today, firstly to visit the Overgate Centre and hear the good news that the Centre is thriving despite the current economic situation - and secondly to support my colleague Chris Hall at the Maryfield Ward by-election. Dundee was rather full of politicians today, starting with the media conference with John Swinney MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance & Sustainable Growth, at Discovery Point - to announce the further Scottish Enterprise Dundee Waterfront Funding. I attended this (as City Council Planning & Transport Convener) and am delighted at this additional funding for Dundee. The Labour Conference ...
WLDC are to make changes to the design of the Beaumont Street multi-storey car park. On the face of it these changes are warranted in the long term, but I question their timing. The car park has been the same for over 15 years, so why make these changes now?The money which is about to be spent could be spent on keeping the Trinity Arts Centre open or investing more time for GAPA, however it
Sir Menzies Campbell was in Maryfield Ward today to support Chris Hall. Below are some photographs from Ming's visit. Ming said, "Chris Hall works very hard for Maryfield Ward and he will be a superb councillor for the area. I urge the people of Maryfield Ward to support Chris this coming Thursday."
Nick Clegg's priority this conference comes over loud and clear in this 12second clip: Nick Clegg reveals #ldconf masterplan on 12seconds.tv Kudos to Nick to agreeing to take part!
Captain's Log, stardate zero six zero three two zero zero nine. It has been over a day since me and my crew began this mission, to install a working operating system onto a new computer, and I feel that success is only now drawing near... I ruddy hate computers sometimes.
My House Points column from today's Liberal Democrat News. In the shadows David Davis is everywhere. He was at the Convention on Modern Liberty last Saturday. He was at the celebration of 20 years of Charter 88 I reported a few weeks ago. The only place he is not to be found is the one where his presence would be most valuable. He is no longer in the Conservative shadow cabinet. Some saw Davis's resignation to fight a by-election last year as a magnificent gesture. But Labour and (more questionably) the Liberal Democrats declined to put up against him, so ...
News reaches me that one Tory run council is offering staff a 0% pay rise this year whilst the councillors themselves took a large increase in allowances and in addition to this, another council (Broadland) has seen the Tories ignore Lib Dem pleas at the last full council meeting to halt plans for a further rise in allowances in order to "show solidarity with council tax payers at this difficult time". Sadly Broadland Tories felt a pay rise was more important. Isn't it odd that at this particular time some Tory councils are notably unaware of the credit crunch and ...
As I've hopefully mentioned several times before, my two favourite columnists (pipping my British favourite, Howard Jacobson, to the post) come not from the worlds of politics or news journalism but from American sports. Gregg Easterbrook and Bill Simmons of ESPN combine weighty sporting analysis with insights into American politics and popular culture from their day jobs (political journalist
{Chris Huhne and GR Lib Dems} Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesman Chris Huhne MP and colleagues have published their Freedom Bill, detailing how the party plans to roll back the authoritarian laws passed by both Labour and Conservative governments which have undermined civil liberties. The legislation is the first time a major political party has collated all of the laws which have undermined civil liberties into one Bill, so that they can be easily repealed. By axing expensive and ineffective measures that hinder and keep tabs on innocent people, the Bill will help switch efforts to catching the guilty instead. ...
18.30 It is traditional for me to forget my conference pass every spring and every autumn, regular as clockwork. This weekend was no exception but, by god, September will be. £25 replacement card charge! Be warned, children. That's no lunch for me for the next three days. Ooh, isn't Harrogate pretty? I've not been before, and I see why people love it as a conference venue. Beautiful conference centre adjoining the even more gorgeous Royal Theatre (art deco outside, baroque phantasia inside). And there's more good news, because rather than the usual sub-Grandstand muzak we have a jazz band. We ...
The most recent issue of Liberator magazine mentioned the comments made recently by a senior Lib Dem MP that he felt the party suffered from a 'Peter Riddell problem' - that the Lib Dem leadership appears at times desperate to earn the praise of The Times's senior political commentator, and arch civil servant manque, as a 'government in waiting'. And in the process the party loses its radical edge and drops its most popular policies. It's interesting, then, to read today's analysis by Mr Riddell of Nick Clegg's leadership and Lib Dem fortunes ahead of the party's spring conference in ...
Alright, I've got the suit, my face is neat and smooth. Time to get to the Rally - after all, Ros is speaking. So I set off, albeit a bit later than planned (but not much). Get to the Royal Hall and there's a queue. A queue that, unexpectedly, stops moving. "The hall is full!", we are told. Hmmm... The guy in front of me tries to pull rank with a steward. I joke that, "Look, I'm the husband of the Party President and I don't get special treatment...", and we are told that there might be room for a ...
My web counter, unnoticed by me until now, has clicked over the 50,000 mark. I have to admit to being slightly surprised by this, and kind of flattered. My family isn't that big. However, I should take this opportunity to thank everyone who has read something I've written, commented on it or told me that they've read it. It's been fun and, hopefully, it'll go on being fun.
Some fascinating coverage in the media today about the agonies faced by Labour and Plaid Cymru in particular as they come to terms with the realities of coalition politics. Peter Hain is in particularly devastating form in arguing that Plaid Cymru's internal squabbles are threatening the future of the One Wales Government. He points to the disagreements over policy within Plaid that he believes are endangering the survival of the coaliton: He said: "Ieuan Wyn Jones should get his party's house in order if he wants to be taken seriously as a governing party. "It is absurd that some politicians ...
Today's Guardian reports: In an exclusive letter published in the Guardian today, a cross-denominational group of religious leaders, led by the Church of England Board of Education, defends selection of some students and staff on the basis of commitment to their faith. The letter comes ahead of a policy debate on 5-19 education in England at the Liberal Democrats' spring conference tomorrow, which calls for a ban on selection by faith in religious schools, and follows a critical report by academics at the London School of Economics. The letter - signed by representatives of the Church of England, the Catholic ...
As I twittered yesterday, the latest outside review of Haringey Council has seen its overall rating drop to one star:The Audit Commission has dramatically reduced the council's star rating, the system by which council performance is judged. The rating has been slashed from an "improving well" three stars last year, to a "not improving adequately" one star this year. The report noted: "The council's failure in its key priority to safeguard children has been publicly reported and it currently delivers an inadequate service for children and young people. "There was insufficient strategic leadership and management oversight of the safeguarding of ...
From the Guardian: The captions were wrong in two photos, each showing both Harry and Luke Treadaway, identical twins who are appearing in a play about German reunification at the Royal Court in London. In each case Harry was captioned as Luke and Luke was captioned as Harry.
Commenting on today's summit on encouraging a low-carbon economy, Liberal Democrat Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Simon Hughes said: "Gordon Brown talks of a green new deal, but yet again it is all spin and no substance." "The Government is spending £20bn on its fiscal stimulus but less than 3% of this is going on greening the economy, a much smaller percentage than...
On Monday 9 March there will be three way temporary traffic signals while work is carried out on a fire hydrant. This is a busy road so there may be some delays.
Well - the debate in Parliament yesterday on support for women during the economic downturn went pretty much as you might expect. We all (cross party) made contributions highlighting the differential impact the recession will have on women (and it will) whilst being very careful to acknowledge the pain that will hit everyone. From domestic violence, to bailiffs, child care, discrimination in not giving jobs to women in case they get pregnant and paying them off cheaply if they do, lack of women decision makers, the hit on the service sector and the lack of financial resilience of women - ...
Today's the start of the party's spring conference, and to mark it Nick Clegg has given an interview to The Times in which he makes this eye-catching proposal: Directors who were running the banks Northern Rock, HBOS, Royal Bank of Scotland and Bradford & Bingley when they were rescued by the taxpayer should be disqualified from sitting on company boards, Nick Clegg said yesterday. On the eve of the Liberal Democrats' conference in Harrogate, Mr Clegg told The Times that these directors had shown that they were not fit to oversee companies. His proposal would affect leading City figures such ...
Liberal Democrat Shadow Schools Secretary, David Laws today called for a massive boost to education spending to allow class sizes to be cut from up to 30 pupils to 15 for all five to seven year olds. The proposal forms part of a raft of measures to be debated at the Liberal Democrats' Spring Conference in Harrogate this weekend. Other measures in the policy paper Equity and Excellence...
I don't often blog about party machinations but can I just say that it seems to me that repute in politics is often gained by using all the legal ways possible to get the argument across for your constituents, especially against the rich and powerful who threaten to take their toys home if they don't get their way, whilst disrepute is most often gained by trying to silence those same people. And all over an issue in which party discipline is at least frowned upon if not illegal. <!-- google_ad_client = "pub-8502734622986536"; /* 468x15 */ google_ad_slot = "9254756953"; google_ad_width = ...
The Deputy Chair of the Institute for Public Policy Research's Commission on National Security in the 21st Century, Ian Kearns, has written a comment on LibDem Voice here (this was under the article by James Graham entitled "Opinion: Is Lord Ashdown IT industry's patsy?"), which I repeat below:James, Paul, other contributors, I'd like to add a few points to the discussion you've all been having,
I was interviewed on Paul Burgin's 'Mars Hill' blog today. Please accept my apologies for being such a shameless self publicist
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7928563.stm Today Prime Minister Gordon Brown told people in a distant land that `I support progress and motherhood and apple pie too`. When asked in the street ordinary folk said `who was that?` or `was that Blair's understudy?`.Viewers on Sky News soon found that they were watching a news item about `Blair's exploits in Israel` and `Raccoon [...]
I'm delighted at the reaction I've got from party members of Liberal Youth about my campaign and what I'll do if I'm elected as Vice-Chair (Membership Development). I haven't put as much time into my campaign as I'd like as I've been busy helping the current chair of Liberal Youth Manchester, Kate Little, run for a sabbatical position in our Students' Union. As a sabbatical officer myself, I know I've developed a huge amount as a liberal, as a campaigner and as a person, and if I'm elected I'll be a loud champion of encouraging our members to stand for ...
In the South West there are 22 Conservative MPs, 16 Liberal Democrat MPs and 13 Labour MPs. So how might you expect a regional committee for the South West to be made up? Step forward the Labour Government with their proposal for a committee with 5 Labour, 3 Conservative and 1 Liberal Democrat. David Heath MP doesn't seem too happy... There is probably no idea, however sensible at the start and however valuable it may be, that this Government cannot turn into a dog's dinner with their cloth-eared intransigence, their inability to give up even a scintilla of power from ...
I am soon departing for Liberal Democrat Conference in Harrogate, this year there are seven members of Wolverhampton South West Liberal Democrats attending - our biggest ever delegation.
After the hammering they took in the NW due partly to the fortitude and `bulldog` spirit of the Lib Dems (yes i enjoy copying tabloid styles) I see that the BNP have yet to update their Cumbria Patriot website. Let's put it all into perspective - there were two local by-elections and both were defended adequately [...]
...therefore it will not be accepted. No, we're not talking about Sir Fred's pension, but I do wonder how he plans to deal with California's ban on gay marriage: Gordon Brown has condemned California's ban on gay marriage as "unacceptable" and warned people to be vigilant against all forms of discrimination. The prime minister said the ban, backed in a referendum in the US state in November, would "undo" much of recent progress made in tackling prejudice. [From BBC NEWS | Politics | Brown attacks US gay marriage ban] What an extraordinary man! Of course I think the ballot measure ...
The Tories in the new Broadland constituency were given a salutary warning about the prospects for the Lib Dems when the Lib Dems sensationally took the Buxton seat on Broadland District Council from the Tories in a massive reversal of fortunes. The Lib Dem candidate, Barbara Rix, won by 354 votes, gaining 555 votes to the Tories 201. The Greens trailed in a miserable third with just 22 votes. The Broadland seat is a new Lib Dem target seat and the Tories, aware of this, pushed an enormous effort in to the campaign with dozens of Tory activists outnumbering the ...
I can't be in Harrogate this weekend, which is frustrating, because I wanted to listen to the education debate - though it may be that I will actually stay less frustrated in the end by not doing going. The proposals on offer are all excellent and urgent. I especially agree with the idea that local authorities can commission parent and voluntary groups to start new schools. But, let's face it: there isn't much in there which addresses the main problem about education, the one that looms over all the others. There are not enough schools. No amount of changing the ...
I have to say, I was really quite appalled to read this article ostensibly about a breach of the data protection act. It did hear something about it on Today in my semi-conscious morning state. It seemed to be a report about not much then (but still bad), just some company selling on people's details when they shouldn't (maybe I wasn't listening hard enough). On reading the article, when awake, the gravity of the situation struck me (and the massive under-reaction of the authorities). For the last 15 years, a company has been running a secret system allowing construction companies ...
Broadland DC, Buxton date: 05/03/2009LD Barbara Rix 555 (71.3; +50.4)Con 201 (25.8; -14.6)Green 22 (2.8; +2.8)[Ind (0.0; -38.6)]Majority 354Turnout 40%LD gain from ConPercentage change is since May 2007 Carlisle City DC, Belah date: 05/03/2009Con 700 (46.4; -20.3)Lab 307 (20.3; -3.4)Ind 221 (14.6; +14.6)BNP 142 (9.4; +9.4)LD James Osler 79 (5.2; +5.2)Green 61 (4.0; +4.0)[English Democrats (0.0; -
My good friend Councillor Debra Storr has today taken the decision to resign from the Scottish Liberal Democrats after many months of strife. I wish Debra all the very best for the future and can assure her of my continuing friendship. For Facebook users there is a group entitled "Solidarity with Debra" which is open to all. I had better stop this post now before I say something which certain elements within the party disagree with and I find myself suspended from membership.
An interesting piece on the BBC website examines Wikipedia for accuracy After a slightly outrageous start, the piece settles down into a reasonably balanced look at the internet's famous anyone-can-edit encyclopaedia. And whilst errors remain, by and large the biggest mistakes are corrected reasonably quickly, and intentional vandalism overturned almost immediately. Of particular note to Liberal Democrats will be bizarre quotes about Nick Clegg - now removed. There's also a long and intriguing section about Martin Horwood MP's entry on the site: Liberal Democrat MP Martin Horwood was alarmed to discover his Wikipedia entry, which in keeping with the conventions ...
Personally I think its political suicide because its not going to help their campaign at all, the only thing it has done for the anti third runway at Heathrow campaigners is make them look like a bunch of amatures. The best they could have done was invite Peter Mandelson or someone else to a debate and ask them to explain themselves, that would have been better then this campaign which has really messed their campaign up in the public eye!
Even though it has been a rocky road from within weeks of his elevation, my constituent (that's code for the PM) has shown this week why he's on his way out of office. The Labour Party, him included, have been devoting considerable effort to the punishment of bankers, especially Sir Fred Goodwin. They're right as their poor judgement has partly led to this economic crisis - and his pension is an insult. Yet many have rightly detected that the comrades' actions were diversionary in nature to avoid the spotlight being shone on the contributory role of my constituent. However, the ...
I went to see Milk last night. It is a fantastic film charting not only the career of Harvey Milk (the first openly homosexual man to hold elected office in the United States) and Dan White (his murderer) but the growth of the equal rights (for Homosexuals) movement in the US.
The Conservatives have topped a poll for being the most obsessed party for wanting Gordon Brown to say sorry for the current crisis that is hitting the world. I don't understand why the Tories are so obsessed with asking Gordon Brown to say sorry, they have even set up a website because of their passion and to see the website follow the link! The poll can be seen above shows that the Tories are more obsessed about this then any of the other two main political parties and people who are non politically aligned. The table below shows the exact ...
Four candidates have been nominated for the Dormanstown By-Election on 2nd April they are: Marion Fairley - Labour Brian Hughes-Mundy - Conservative Ken Lucas - Liberal Democrat Lynne Payne - BNP
An email from Jonathan Fryer reminds me that the principle of equal pay we take for granted came from the 1957 Treaty of Rome. In 1975, EU directives gave women the right of legal redress for unequal pay through the courts. Then came directives outlawing discrimination on the basis of race. Then in 2006 [...]
I am on the traiin heading south to York where I change for the local service to Harrogate. Surprisingly, given the time of day, the service is packed out. The overhead racks are full and I have half my luggage, and my homemade sandwiches on my lap. I would have tried to read the self-sufficiency handbook I brought along for the journey but frankly, I'm going to have a battle to retrieve it from
The Liberal Democrat conference is coming up this weekend. Hope Vince the Prince is on his usual fine form.
I shall be visiting my brother and his wife this evening and I want to ask them about the forestry situation in Borneo. She is from Sarawak in Borneo and they've just got back from a visit over there for her father's ninetieth birthday. Having ...
There are far better ways to make a case for your beliefs than assaulting cabinet members. Throwing green custard over Peter Mandelson may bring a degree of amusement to some, but whatever your cause, this sort of activity is completely unacceptable. I don't say this just because I have a degree of respect for Peter Mandelson (a point that probably does not endear me to many Labour members!) I
I like chocolate. Any decent chocolate will do really, but for a treat you can't beat Green and Black's Mayan Gold. For a good old comfort eat, there's nothing as satisfying as the sheer chunkiness of a bar of Cadbury's Dairy Milk, preferably refrigerated. The news that Dairy Milk will in future be Fairtrade certificated will [...]
Thursday: "Now, pay attention, 007! If you press this button, you'll engage and then fire the Economic Ejector Seat, blowing the top off the Bank of England and shooting seventy-five billion pounds up your... fiscal rectitude..." So, how does this "Quantitative Easing" thing work? Well, imagine you've got seventy-five billion pounds... THAT'S how it works. But this ISN'T like Zimbabwe or the Weimar Republic where they just printed money in order to pay its bills. Oh no! Here, the Bank of England is printing money to buy back the government's I.O.U.s that they issued in order to pay their bills. ...
Found via Chicken Yoghurt : Dear All, We are writing to you to ask for your help and support. We may have previously contacted you concerning a little boy - child M and his family. We have worrying reasons to believe that they may be facing imminent detention. As you may remember child M and his family are [...]
A very exciting night last night. Nine schools from across the South competed in the Rock Challenge at a packed Southampton Guildhall (quite a venue to perform at if you are just 11 years old!).The Rock Challenge is an international idea, introduced into this country by Hampshire Police to try to shift kids' minds from drifting towards drugs and alcohol and towards more positive things. Each
Home net access is still as infrequent as a decent policy announcement from the Labour Party, but in the meantime here's a few links, with less comment from me than usual due to typing this at work... Pillock has a great post on accents - musical, time-based and artistic, with reference to Backbeat and comic covers. Andrew [...]
Modern Liberty. I hear it and my skin crawls. What is modern liberty? How is modern liberty different from plain, boring old liberty? See, thanks to this shower of lemons we've currently got running the country, the word 'modern' has never been more foreboding. If anyone's been keen on 'modernising' the state's attitudes towards civil liberties, it's been our social democratic chums over in the Labour Party. Modernise, in the context of this Government, means, "we're doing it our way now." It's not enough we Liberal Democrats have a bird as our logo - we've got 'the bird' being flipped ...
Of course, Ros is deep in preparation for Conference. Walk throughs, briefing meetings, rehearsals, committee meetings and all of those things that ordinary Conference attendees never even know about. However, there are responsibilities for the First Spouse too. I have to look fragrant, smile sweetly and look as though I am delighted to meet everyone. The latter task is easy, as there are very few people in the Party that I would cross the street to avoid (and most of them don't know who they are either...). However, when one is more walrus-like than sylph-like, the 'looking fragrant' role is ...
One of the most consistent principles that has marked out the Liberal Democrats is our belief in natural justice. That means treating people fairly, defending the rights of the individual against those who hold institutional power, basing judgements on all the evidence and allowing people who have had accusations made against them to know what those accusations are and what the evidence against them is. It is for that reason that I have become increasingly concerned about the Scottish Party's approach to the problems in Aberdeenshire. For a very useful background to the history of the situation see Bernard Salmon's ...
Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council and our partners have been awarded a second Beacon community safety award - this time in the 'after dark' category, reflecting the progress that has been made in making Hinckley and district a safer place to be after dark - especially in the Town Centre. The latest in a string of achievements for the Lib Dem administration.
The BNP has been talking up its hopes of winning a North West seat in the European elections. Victory in council by-elections could provide momentum and credibility, and the resignation of a Liberal Democrat councillor in Carlisle gave them an opportunity. According to The Independent (Feb 28), the BNP candidate in Castle ward was given a friendly reception on many doorsteps, and they would deliver 10 leaflets to every home by the March 5 poll. Everything the BNP stands for is anathma to Liberal Democrats. We champion the right of every individual to reach their full potential. We oppose all ...
Most disturbing indeed.How dare they insult the dignity of one her Majesty's Secretaries of State? ...Disturbingly accurate aim as well.
A fund raising dinner to support humanitarian relief in Gaza is organised by Muslim groups in the Rochdale area, and I am one of the speakers. It's well supported but not a huge affair, yet it raises £30,000! If nothing else that should serve as a reminder that many British voters want their representatives to start speaking up for justice in Palestine. So far as Israeli actions are concerned "enough is enough" they will say. But how will the money be used? In recent days we have had Kerry, Solana and Blair visiting Gaza, all have called for the lifting ...
Some good news yesterday. The Audit Commission has announced the results of the latest Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) of Local Authorities. Yet again Darlington is assessed a 4-star Council. A result in marked contrast to nearby Redcar and Cleveland, where the new Labour administration has plunged the authority to two stars from the four held when the Lib Dems held power in alliance
As anticipated on Lib Dem Voice here, the Scottish Lib Dems' call for a referendum on Scottish independence to be postponed until at least 2011 - the date of the next Holyrood elections - received a substantial majority last night. The FT reports: Labour and the Conservatives backed a Liberal Democrat call for the SNP to ditch its plans for an independence referendum, and the amendment was carried by 72 votes to 47. ... Mike Rumbles, the Liberal Democrats' chief whip, said Thursday's vote was a "reality check" for the SNP. "They need to ditch the referendum and ditch it ...
Today's Financial Times notes soothsayer and Deputy Lib Dem leader Vince Cable's latest economic warning: Vince Cable called the recession before it hit but now the Liberal Democrat has another worry preying on his mind: that Britain might find itself emerging quickly from the crisis and straight into a new era of rising inflation. On the day the Bank of England announced plans to pump £75bn into the economy, Mr Cable warned that this expansion could fuel a return to "old-style boom and bust" unless it were handled with extreme caution. The Lib Dem Treasury spokesman is not known for ...
KING UNVEILS RADICAL PLAN TO FUCK BRITAIN INTO MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK BANK of England governor Mervyn King last night unveiled his latest radical plan to take Britain and fuck it squarely into the middle of next week. Mr King and chancellor Alistair Darling agreed to increase the money supply after noticing how Britain was still not quite similar enough to Germany in 1932, or Zimbabwe this morning. Mr King said: "Once we've laid the groundwork for hyper-inflation everything else should fall into place including the emergence of a strong, insane dictator, a nice new motorway network and our eventual ...
I haven't written on philosophy in a very long time, so if you're not a fan of slightly meandering (and in this case rather simplistically written - I haven't really slept for a while) discourse I suggest you look away now. But as I get (very slightly) older, something has been intriguing me, and that's [...]
Yesterday the Conservatives held there seat in the Ravenscliffe Ward by-election in Newcastle-Under-Lyme and Labour gained the Atherstone Central Ward by-election in North Warwickshire (where there was no Liberal Democrat candidate).
The link is from the COmmunity Care website.Children's secretary Ed Balls today declared that social work should become a Masters level profession to boost its quality and status.One of the reasons many local authorities are deemed "inadequate" is a shortage of qualified social workers. This means often that someone without the formal qualifications is in place.The "official" determination of
Thanks to Mr Graham for blogging about the Comic Book Alliance (not to mention doing his bit to bring it about). I've written before about the dangerous and misguided Coroners and Justice Bill and this issue. For no particular reason, other than making life slightly easier for the police, this bill will make it illegal to own a drawing of a fully-clothed 17 year old watching two adults having sex. Bizarrely, this bill will make you a paedophile for owning a drawing, when exactly the same scene described in prose or appearing on a movie or TV programme would be ...
On Sunday I shall be hosting this week's Britblog Roundup. If this week you have seen any British blog posts you think particularly fine - and, yes, that can include ones on your own blog - send the links to britblog [at] gmail [dot] com by Sunday lunchtime and I shall do the rest.
Today I will be sitting at my desk in Edinburgh only a 20 minute bus ride from home but I'd far rather have had a longer journey top make this morning. A train from Waverley to York then onward to Harrogate would have been great as the Federal Lib Dem Spring* conference kicks off today. It's that time in the election cycle when there is that little more focus on the year and 16 months ahead as we know we will be facing a General Election by then. PPCs are buzzing wanting to grab as much training and feedback from ...
I want to put on record my incredible sadness at the resignation of Cllr Debra Storr from the Liberal Democrats. I first met Debra at the Scottish Young Social Democrats AGM in November 1985, so we go back basically all my adult life. She is an instinctive Liberal Democrat and has a very long and distinguished record of serving the party at local, Scottish and UK level. She is and will continue to be a dedicated local councillor who works hard for the people living in her ward. The Party should not be losing people of Debra's and Martin Ford's ...
I went to last night's meeting of the Redlands and University NAG, which was well attended and very nicely presented, including leaflets, surveys and display boards.Key issues raised by residents included parking, especially the over-parking of our streets and parking on the pavements. A difficult issue to resolve but something we have been working on in e.g. Alexandra Rd, Morgan Rd. I want to keep the pressure on the Police and Council to "keep it clean, keep it clear". The quality of our pavement and roads, and their state of repair, is a continuing concern and that was also raised.The ...
Yeah, really, really, really bad pun. Me, the Vice-President and the President (of the Lib Dems, I haven't managed to persuade Biden and Obama to pop along in a three-door student car) are on our way to Harrogate Conference today! Should be an interesting Conference. All three of us are Federal Conference "newbies" (to borrow an internet gaming term), so we will be relying on the friendly Welsh Party to show us the ropes of Conference life. If we get free access to a computer, you may get an update tomorrow and Sunday! If not, there'll be a nice and ...
It's a year to the day since my colleague Rachel Allison was elected to Haringey Council in a by-election in Highgate. I came accross this clipping from the Haringey Advertiser, which reminded me. Rachel, who was already well-known for campaigning on local issues, had a big win. Happy anniversary, Rachel.
The decision of Deputy Minister for Social Services to set up an intervention board to oversee improvements in Swansea's Children Services was most probably the right decision given the way that this department has been kicked around like a political football on that authority in the last year. The administration there is unhappy but has accepted the decision and is buckling down to work with the new board. In contrast the opposition is in denial over their own part in bringing this judgement down upon the Council. As their website, Inside Out Swansea illustrates, they have learnt nothing and continue ...
The long haul up North starts today - you can keep up with the action from Federal Conference on twitter - #ldconf or if you like pretty things this link for twitterfall.There will be daily updates on here from me and any other welsh reps I can rope into it. In the mean time some likely highlights for people to watch out for:If you are new to conference, the new attendees fringe on Friday night
Green Campaigner and member of Plane Stupid Leila Deen has thrown custard at Lord Mandelson in a "protest" about the expansion of Heathrow.
I was on the losing side when MPs voted 235 to 176 for a motion to end the condition that a candidate for election to Parliament should have their address on the ballot paper. This has been a requir...
... involved beer, and pie, and more beer, and astounding everyone with my ability to get the easiest radom pages in the Weakest Link Quiz Book, and calling Charlotte Gore a Tory just to see her face (again), and brandy... and now I am leaving drunken and inapproriate comments on people's LJs, and my house is still a tip and cordite arrives in the morning to dogssit, and then we go to CONFERENCE and I broke the satnav by trying to update it and I don;t care about ANY of the stressul stuff thanks to a very lovely Unnamed Benefactor ...
Earlier I spent a very pleasant, if slightly nerve-wracking, evening "chairing" the final "Meet the Author" session of my employer, Oxford Brookes University's, "Love and Justice Month". Our guest author, and an honorary graduate from the 2008 round of graduations, was Teresa Hayter, author of "Open Borders: The Case Against Immigration Controls". Teresa is a long time campaigner against immigration controls and the asylum machismo that tabloid editors and leading politicians promulgate and revel in. She was a founder member of the Campaign to Close Campsfield (with which Lib Dem MP Evan Harris is often involved) way back in 1993 ...
This evening I chaired a meeting of the Housing, Health and Community Care Panel. You can access the reports we discussed via the Council's website here. We had a big agenda (partly because scrutiny panels only meet a few times a year and also because the Panel has a very wide remit as you might have guessed!) but the subjects covered were really interesting. I would like to thank all those who contributed to the meeting. I spent some considerable time preparing for the meeting and discussed with a range of people involved ways in which scrutiny could add value. Like a stuck record you ...
I see on Debra Storr's old blog that she has tendered her resignation to the party. However, she has set up a new blog with a rather selective current blogroll. It is sad that it has come to this both as it has happened to a friend and also to someone who shares many of the same political views as myself. The party will be bereft as a result. It does leave a lot of pondering to be done.
